Today in History Today is Sunday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2014. There are 346 days left in the year.

On this date:

In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" premiered in Rome. In 1861, Georgia became the fifth state to secede from the Union. In 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. In 1942, during World War II, Japan invaded Burma (Myanmar). In 1944, the federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads to their owners following settlement of a wage dispute. In 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected prime minister of India. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon nominated G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court; however, the nomination was defeated because of controversy over Carswell's past racial views. In 1977, in one of his last acts of office, President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino, an American convicted of treason for making wartime broadcasts for Japan. In 1992, German government and Jewish officials dedicated a Holocaust memorial at the villa on the outskirts of Berlin where the notorious Wannsee Conference had taken place. In 2013, Death claimed baseball Hall-of-Famers Stan Musial at age 92 and Earl Weaver at age 82.

On this date in entertainment –

In 1977, Aretha Franklin sang "God Bless America" at a special inaugural concert for President-elect Jimmy Carter, who took the oath of office the next day. In 1980, Michael Jackson got his first gold record, for "Off the Wall." In 1989, Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle teamed up for a version of "Stand By Your Man" in honor of President-elect George Bush. Other celebrities at the Inaugural Gala included Clint Eastwood, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. In 1993, Fleetwood Mac reunited for the Inaugural Gala for President-elect Bill Clinton. Also in 1993, singer Tom Waits was allowed to keep the $2.5 million that a judge awarded him after he sued Frito-Lay for using a sound-alike in a commercial. The Supreme Court refused to change the amount of the award. In 1998, rockabilly pioneer Carl Perkins died in Jackson, Tennessee, of complications from a recent series of strokes. He was 65. In 2006, singer Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack in Reston, Virginia. He was 64.

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